The green stag finished his missive. He had been wandering and writing for over a week now, focused intently. When he was with his friends, he had been thinking only of the poems. When he was alone, he was pondering the poems. And now, at last, he was ready.
He stood from his sunning spot at the river mouth and climbed the hill to the Twin Gods' statue, where he left it. He had, with some care, made an ink to apply onto a sheet of peeled-off birch bark. He left the note there, unsigned, to preserve some mystery to it.
To All Dear Forest-Dwellers:
In the interest of letting poetry be as it was meant -- a surprise look at the world, a delight to reach and understand, and a part of the community -- I have gone forth and spread some of my poems throughout the forest, with each poem tied to its location. I will release them gradually, so that I will be able to preserve them for my collection in case no one decides to hunt them out. Each wave of poetry will get, ideally, harder to find: you who can find the last poem will, without question, truly know the forest. You'll have truly gone and looked around, and been fully aware of this world.
All the poems have been found --I hope you found them as if you had come across treasure.
Finale Records
"Honesty," Found by Deyna's Nightshine after 4 clues
Wave 3 Records
"Growth," Found by Faungrae's Hiroquo after 3 clues
"Search," Found by Meadow's Zevi after 1 clue
"On the Edge," Found by Unplugged after 1 clue
Wave 2 Records
"Across the Divide," Found by Wiana's Ozzie after 1 clue
"Drifting Bubbles," Found by Thundermint's Alo after 1 clue
Wave 1 Records
"Offering Magic," Found By Deyna's Nightshine in De Drinkplaats after 1 clue
"One Way," Found by Paledix on the rock with the slanted ramp in the Playground after 4 clues
((Ok, here's how this possibly bad idea works from our end. This is an interactive piece, after all, so everything should happen from the perspective of the characters, including the hunting and finding of poems and clues.
#1: You post a screenshot of your deer in what you think is the intended location of any poem in the wave, and a small optional description of why/how they're looking (if you like, no pressure).
#2: Then, I reply back either with a small scene describing the position of the poem and the poem itself, or a small scene with the unveiling of another clue.
#3: Once a clue is released, everyone can use it, since you're going to see it anyway.
#4: If you'd like, you can respond to the last message with your deer, possibly leading to a little interaction between your deer and the poem's author, Seed (he's probably lurking around, waiting to see if anyone finds the poem). That's totally optional, and only if you can think of something to say.
#5: When all poems in a wave are found, the next wave begins.
I hope lots of people participate and have fun -- I'm releasing these slowly to check interest, but there will be more! The rules and clarity of the clues may change depending on how easy/hard a time people are having.)) 
Oh, exciting! Sounds like
Thanks! I hope a lot of deer
This sounds awesome! I think
*Neria*
?Izotz?
This has my interest.
I really do hope that more
.
.
I am really excited by
*u* Sounds like fun! *starts
Sounds like fun!
*starts searching*
Pooh, made it too big
The little fawn didn't find
Like a solitary shrine,
the water churns prayers as it tumbles
and trembles through the air.
Who was it that laid
the offering of flowers
that perfume the air
like the magic, thick and heavy,
leaving the copper taste of thunder
in my mouth, the sound
of goldfish swimming through air
in my ears? Who were you,
who loved its marvels
and then left only the flowers
as your passing?
Please, return one day.
See again the blossoming mushroom spores.
See again the circling of night and day,
See again the doves and bats.
See again the creatures come on pilgrimages.
See again such miracles, and
See again the sacrifice miracles
demand, of vanity and power --
a sacrifice you knew to meet
with sleepy-petaled poppies.
A white dove with a golden pictogram was watching, pretending to be sneaky, from among the flowers at the top of the fountain.
((Yaaaay! The first discovery! If you don't feel like continuing the scene, you don't have to.
I tried looking for the name of the fawn, but couldn't find a bio for it anywhere, and the picto was too small to tell if that was Deyna the character.))
Something tells me I got it
*Neria*
?Izotz?
There was no poem there, that
An excellent thought, and please keep trying
but the pillar I love is not a pillar made by anyone other than the gods.
(Just to close the scene
He looked at the arrow under the rock, gave it a spontaneous lick (fawns!) and walked to the other side of the fountain, where he rinsed the unsatisfying taste of mostly brick and very little blueberry from his mouth before seeing the fruits of his labor written above the ancient spout.
He celebrated first, splashing the water with dancing hooves and jumping in circles, bleating in triumph. Only after expelling most of his energy did he finally turn towards the poem, standing on his back feet to see the whole entry.
He read it quickly. Went briefly back to celebrating, then stopped and read it. His concentration was flighty and simple, and the poem seemed complex and important, so it took a few reads, and his head was swimming with thoughts when he finally turned away.
The fountain had been in the Forest for as long as he could remember, and it never entered his mind that someone could have actually been responsible for its existence. But the more he reasoned over it, the more it made sense. And that Someone was missing from the Forest. Who could it have been? He didn't know. He thought about the other special places like the fountain: the graveyard, the bridge, the lighted statues on the hill. Deer could place all sorts of masks and fur and antlers, but never anything else, and never on anything that wasn't another Deer.
His thoughts were interrupted by a flash of memory that there were more poems to discover. He jolted forward and dashed away from the fountain, going in no decisive direction.
(His name is Nightshine, but there is no bio for him
Oh I love this idea 8D I'll
I'll have to participate <3
Edit~
Could it be...here?
As Honeyfur approached the
Nice guess...
You're certainly very close to it now.
This stone I am so attached to... As the title implies,
there's only "one way" to reach the top of it when walking.
It appears he's anticipated a few of the places that people would look for this one... But this could also serve as a clue over-all: the titles of the poems, in some ways, relate to the thing they are placed near.
Perhaps then, it must be...
There wasn't a poem in sight.
Seed was there getting a drink, though, and he looked up at Honeyfur curiously. He had seen her picto and heard her name here and there.
"Oh, you're... Honeyfur, right?"
He noticed the way she had come up to the idol and tilted his head.
"Are you looking for something?"
((I admit, I totally didn't expect that one. Hence a lack of a quick-and-easy note. If you don't feel like a scene, just say so, and we can skip to the clue))
(Haha yeah, I thought of it
The green doe was panting when she skidded to a stop next to the Idol, only to find that there wasn't a note or a poem stuck to it. She was about to rack her brain for more ideas when a voice greeted her, and she swiveled her ears in its general direction before turning her bright green eyes upon the green stag.
"Yes..yes, I'm Honeyfur. And, you're Seed, right?" She remembered seeing him at the forest games event, though it had been a few months ago.
"Well, yes, I am..I'm looking for a poem titled "One Way". Would you happen to know where it is? Or, better yet, a hint of where it is?" As curious as she was for the where-abouts of the poem, she felt the need to find it on her own, as it would give her a sense of accomplishment. Honeyfur wasn't one to cheat.
Seed wasn't entirely willing
Eventually, he nodded vaguely. Because even if she was still looking, he could still give her another hint by helping her a little, couldn't he?
"Well, do you have any clues already? Maybe there's something in them you've overlooked... Or maybe they just need a second eye for another clue to emerge."
"Yes, I do have a couple
Seed thought about this.
"Hmmm.... That's certainly a tricky one. Well, when you think about it, you can get on the idol... But it's tricky to manage, and you have to fly. Deer aren't really meant to be on the idol, or on the pillars on the ruins either. I think this pillar-like stone... Must be one that you're meant to get on top of, even if it's hard."
He said thoughtfully, making it sound like it was coming to him through some work. Well, the clue was.
Honeyfur tilted her head
"I..I think I know where it is. Thank you, you've been very helpful." With a smile and a bow, she bid him thanks and farewell before turning to charge back into the forest toward her destination. I hope I'm right, she thought. If not, she would keep looking.
The ghostly stag walked up
... he just found this a comfortable place to sit.
((sorry for jumping in... read all this and dared a wild guess.... allthough there are technically two ways to get on that thing. One of them is jumping, though... just ignore me when this is wrong ))
Maybe here... Edit: Oh crap,
Edit: Oh crap, I hadn't refreshed the page yet. You don't have to count this then if it's right, since PaleDix posted first xD;
((I'll count Palenix's guest
...As for the ways onto the rock, I'm aware you can jump onto it. But I never said there was only one way total -- only one way if you were walking. There was also a sort of secret clue in most of the clues, in that Seed referred to it as "the rock [he] loves." This is his favorite spot in the Birch Forest.))
@ Paledix:
Paledix would have noticed something scratched into the rock in front of him, where the birds flitted around. The rock had been scratched recently, by maybe a set of antlers or somesuch, and the lines were scar-white on the grey stone, and shallow due to its strength. Still, someone had even outlined the poem in a little box with some flourishes.
The sun sinks
its heat into the slab;
The path is narrow and becomes
warm. Easy to slip, never
reach the high stone
where the birds flit free
of distraction, where the world
becomes an island
of warm, shivering light.
Up here, the world sinks away
delivered only by birds crowding
on antlers, coming to whisper
the stories of their pinprick claws
and fluting of air through feathers.
In their circling exaltation,
they sing -- the light has
one path to reach the rock, they have
one way to catch the wind around the stone, and deer
have one way to climb up --
but only the deer love below,
where the bridge forms a shelter
Against the sun and rain.
----
@ Honeyfur:
She found the poem carved into the top of the stone, of course.
And when she had time to read and absorb it, Seed would slowly walk up the side of the thing and not exactly look at the poem.
"Oh, Honeyfur. Did you find what you were looking for?"
((And that clears Wave 1! It's getting late for me, so Wave 2 will be posted in the morning!))
A noticable smile was
"I have! Thank you Seed, you were a big help, I really appriciate it, and it's such a wonderful poem! I'm glad I was able to find it." She glanced down at the words again, re-reading the berry juice, letting the images swirl through her imagination once again.
[This was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed myself, even though it took me/HF a while to figure it out xD Looking forward to seeing what Wave 2 will be like; might even try my hand at another one if we're allowed to do more than one <3]
((You're allowed to do as
He grinned at her satisfaction. Praise felt at once a little undeserved to him, but it was also something he was very grateful for; if his life had meaning beyond the merely experiental, it was in smiles like the one she was wearing -- that his efforts could create a smile. There was a poem in that.
"I'm glad it was worth all that effort for you... I like this spot very much, truth be told."
He nodded warmly and rested on the rock, his antlers bare. As the poem would suggest, birds came and rested on his antlers.
The stag looked down at the
Carefully he read every single word. Bones seemed to melt, to bend, suddenly forming a smile on a face that was supposed to be dead.
He lifted his head, turned it slowly, to the left, tho the right, wondering who might had left this pretty poem here...
((heh awesome... i would love to try another one as well... ^^))
"Hmm, across the
Oh yes! I think I know where it is. I've seen candles on it... and it helps you to "cross the divide...!"
Maybe it's here?"
@ Paledix: The green stag,
The green stag, still in the process of shaking the flowers off of his antlers, walked up the ramp. Behind him slid a trail of purple flowers, drifting like flecks of old lace in the air.
"Oh, hello there... Were you sitting here? Do you mind company? I came to check on... something."
Seed was not prepared for subtlety this time, it seems. Perhaps it was the fluster of a stranger seeing his work, leaving him blushing like a young doe in her first spring.
----
This one was on a piece of bark like the initial note, not carved on the stones like the previous one. The bark had been propped up in a gap in the stones, propped against a raised portion of the bridge. In the end, the stones of the Bridge were too valuable to use for other poems to write this one here, in Seed's mind.
But the text of the poem read:
For a night, our bridge bears candles --
such rare ornamentation!
Oh, to see it shine in the dusk
The underside throwing water-light reflections.
Such rare ornamentation,
unlike the weeds normally spreading in the stones.
The underside throws water-light reflections
On the opposing, algea-strewn walls.
Unlike the weeds normally spreading in the stones,
we can show this bridge some affection.
On the opposing, algea-strewn walls
Are poems and memories written because
we can show this bridge some affection;
Oh, to see it shine in the dusk!
Are poems and memories written because,
for a night, our bridge bears candles?
Nothing is tastier to a fawn
Edit: Oh! Your poems are really good too! ^^ I like them.
*Neria*
?Izotz?
@Seed: Another turn of his
Another turn of his head finally brought the green stag in sight. For a moment his gaze rested on the visitor, before the bones seem to bend a little more, widening the grin. "I never mind company." The pale surface changed back to how it was suppose to look. "Check on something. Hmm." His gaze fell back onto the carved words, linking them to the aproaching of the stranger now. "Not by chance those pretty words I just found here?"
@ Thundermint: At the base
At the base of one of the birch trees that circled the bowl was a poem, written in the dirt. Someone had cleared all the leaves away from that spot, leaving a deep brown patch that had been scratched in deeper and deeper.
Time dilates over the field
Of bundled blue berries,
Like swimming in an ocean
made of juice that explodes from broken skin.
Of bundled blue berries,
I can only list their properties:
made of juice that explodes from broken skin,
sometimes bitter and sometimes so sweet that
I can only list their properties;
there's no capturing the sensation,
sometimes bitter and sometimes so sweet that
it crowds your senses into silence.
There's no capturing the sensation,
Moving in that field made of bubbles.
It crowds your senses into silence,
your mind and body blend in the blue berries.
Moving in that field made of bubbles,
like swimming in an ocean.
Your mind and body blend into the blue berries and
time dilates over the field.
------
@ Paledix
When Seed referred to 'pretty words,' he was usually being self-depricating. He wasn't sure if that was how the ghostly stag was using it, or not. Still, he blushed even harder for having been caught.
"Yes, actually..."
He bit his tongue on the questions like how he liked it, or whether or not the game itself was fun, hoping that maybe information like that would be volunteered. He didn't want to seem pushy about it, or the like.
((Wow, wave 2 went by really fast! I guess I ought to make these clues harder!))
Growth...can it be...
This time, a note was waiting
A logical conclusion. But the rings I speak... Can be seen from above, not below.
Could it be here? (That's
Could it be here?
(That's my Hiroquo by the way.)
ForTwoLifetimes, Moonsoverwater, PandaXiongMao, MissButterflyCaught, FaunGrae, All the same, a friend with many names.
Avatar by Meadow Sig by SightHoundLady
@seed: "I see..." the bones
Oh, my deer's name is Ozzie
Forgot to mention it...
@FaungGrae: There was a
There was a note at the base of the stump. And it read:
The place you're looking for is surrounded by butterflies
@ Paledix:
He smiled sheepishly.
"Actually, I...Wrote it. I'm glad you liked it."
The praise was like a cool pillow on a warm night, or a sweet taste you weren't expecting. In short, Seed was happy that someone who didn't have any reason to praise him was doing so.
"Oh, my name is Seed. And you are?"
@ Wiana: Excellent! The pictogram didn't show, and it didn't seem to match his described set... So I was left puzzled.
"Here, Seed?" The deer
ForTwoLifetimes, Moonsoverwater, PandaXiongMao, MissButterflyCaught, FaunGrae, All the same, a friend with many names.
Avatar by Meadow Sig by SightHoundLady
((pic is link. hope the
((pic is link. hope the format is acceptable? because we haven't pointed out a concrete spot))
I'll track this for now
@ Faungrae: Seed had been
Seed had been hiding nearby when he heard the question asked, and was startled out of it. He thought he had been doing a good job and being stealthy. His ears flattened, but he smiled.
"Well, so much for anonyminity... Take a look for yourself."
A full search would reveal something propped at the base of the stump -- Seed apparently hadn't wanted to damage the stump or the flower to deliver the notes. It was another bark-sheet, with the poem:
Please, look at me;
Don't see the cracked, dry flesh
sending golden sawdust in the air
with the slightest touch;
don't see the jagged edges, where I
was ripped through the heart
by the passing of storms, by the brute force
of time, until I crumbled, and fell
and was eaten from inside --
those torn bits of bark, still reaching
for the place where I came undone.
Please, look at me --
Don't keep walking,
writing only the rough lump
of my shape, only an object
to mark your passing; another name
on the list, another figure
to glance over, a decimal point
in the equation of the world.
Please, please see me
so you can see the tiny stem shooting
from my heart, unfolding a single
pliable leaf to wave out
like a flag
even after all of that.
Please see it from my heart.
----
@ Unplugged
((It's cool -- if you show me a place, and it's the correct place, then it doesn't matter if you're pointing to it or not))
Unplugged, in searching the 'garden' area of the forest, where the two flowers mingled, would have spotted another patch of cleared dirt (not to interrupt the flowers, of course) with a poem written on it. It was a somewhat temporary thing -- already, a blossom had been carried by the wind to cover a bit of it. When removed, the text read:
Purple clouds at dawn:
The spring rush of prancing fawns
kick up their petals.
crimson dusk flowers,
those old bowing poppy heads
greeting granchildren.
My hooves wind through blooms,
Mixing memories and hopes
in this twilight land.
((Now there are just two poems left -- the final one of wave 3, and the final wave. That's gonna be a tough one))
Well, I would say a good
*Neria*
?Izotz?
The young stag smiled,
Any other day he would have eaten the sweet-looking sprout, but today Seed had given it a voice that shook his already fluttering heart. Instead, the buck bent his head to touch the little plant and kissed it with his humanoid lips. He smiled, breathing a little carbon dioxide on the plant as a gift, before raising his head again to face Seed.
Thank you for telling me... reminding me how beautiful the most insignificant things are in the world.
With that thanks and a quick nuzzle for Seed, the white buck trotted off.
(your writing is always so inspirational)
ForTwoLifetimes, Moonsoverwater, PandaXiongMao, MissButterflyCaught, FaunGrae, All the same, a friend with many names.
Avatar by Meadow Sig by SightHoundLady
"A natural stop in a treasure
"At least, it's where I would go." Zevi said to no one in particular. He began to look over the spot, investigating the branches, and places where the poem could have been slid under.
@seed: "Seed." the ghostly
"Seed." the ghostly stag nodded, bowed slightly "Nice to meet you. You can call me Dix." his epmpty eyesockets rested on him for a moment, as if he was remembering the look of the green stag. His head turned again, his gaze rested on the carved words again. "... are there more of those to find, or is this the only one?"
(No subject)
I've just read through these
((Wow, you take a day
@ Thundermint:
Sadly, that is not the location. But there is a note.
Aahhh.... It would be nice if there were treasure in these ruins. But these ruins may be treasures themselves, don't you suppose? Keep looking.
---
@ Faungrae:
As the other deer bounded off, a true smile -- a rare thing on a face of someone like Seed, who would smile when he meant it the least -- spread across his face, crinkling his golden eyes.
"I think that means...They're not insignificant at all."
He said, to no one in particular. He leaned up against the stump and said, conversationally,
"I do hope you grow back well, one day. You think I'll be there to see it?"
The little leaves rustled, and sent throughts along the trunk's old roots.
"...Maybe so. But I think seeing the potential and seeing the reality...Maybe they're not the same thing?"
...But, as the stump had said, perhaps he already had. And perhaps, in that moment, Hiroquo had too.
---
@ Meadow:
Carved into the spot where the logs converged, so that half the poem was on one and half was on the other, was indeed a poem. It was positioned with care, so that the bed of ferns didn't hide it. It was a slightly sentimental spot for Seed -- a favorite place, and he would jump around the cross like he was jumping over the spokes of a wheel. It was a thing Seed did that felt like a secret, even when other people were there. It was a secret he wanted to share, a bit -- the feeling of having a secret in this place.
Go high and low,
chasing the treasure with the wind
pinning back your smile, biting off
your laugh. Your hooves
pound the ground and all there is
is the thrill of hunting, the giddy
rush of corners to be peaked behind.
Dig and tear up
the bed of soft ferns,
fractal frost-shaped tendrils
undercoated with goosebump spores;
destroy the moss-mottled ground and come
to see no treasure
was ever buried there; the land
never had a treasure to give, but for
ferns with teeth-like bodies --
and you had no treasure
but for the search
for treasure.
---
@Paledix:
"There are more...But it looks like most of them have been found already. This seems to have become more popular than I expected."
He looked pleasantly surprised as he said it, like being reminded that people were enjoying this brought back the initial surprise of realizing that the scheme was working.
---
@ Pega: ((I'm not sure what to do about wrong answers given after the correct one for a single poem, especially unexpected wrong answers. Hm. I may have to make a new post once I talk to you about how you'd like me to handle this.))
---
@ Dag: High praise, coming from the grand master of community involvement projects! Thank you. This is turning out to be very fun. I may have to do another one, sometime after I get the chance to write more poems.
---
@All: Wave 3 will begin momentarily, probably later today after I get a chance to talk to Pega and so on.